When Thanksgiving arrives, it’s time to put this series on winter hiatus. Iowa wildflower Wednesday will return sometime during the spring of 2026.
Please reach out to me if you’d like to contribute wildflower photographs next year. Guest posts focusing on one species at different stages of development are always welcome, especially if you want to spotlight a plant never seen before on Bleeding Heartland, or not featured in more than five years. The full Iowa wildflower Wednesday archive is here, alphabetized by the plant’s common name.
I also enjoy publishing essays about many native plants found in one park or prairie, or along a particular trail. You can find lots of inspiration in the posts linked here.
The Iowa wildflower enthusiasts Facebook group remains active year-round, for anyone seeking a break from social media negativity, help with plant IDs, or advice on what to do with your seeds or garden over the winter.
My long list of things to be thankful for includes a fantastic group of guest authors and photographers. (Scroll through the “wildflowers” tag to see their work.) I enclose below a collection of photos by Jeff Ewoldt, who recently found many plants still blooming in central Iowa. Sometimes, unusually warm autumn weather can produce new flowers on plants that normally bloom in the spring or summer.
Wishing you health, happiness, and good food over this long holiday weekend.
In early November, Jeff found this purple coneflower near the state capitol in Des Moines, “still in bloom but fading fast.”
Black-eyed Susans, also near the capitol.
A purple coneflower at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Black-eyed Susans at Waterworks Park in Des Moines.
These flowers could be frost aster, or perhaps a related aster “cultivar.”
Some gorgeous wild blue sage in bloom near Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines.
Jeff took the next several photos while visiting Brown’s Woods in West Des Moines on November 19. Here’s some kind of goldenrod:
Yarrow is difficult to photograph at any time of the year.
I was most surprised to see Jeff’s image of Culver’s root (sometimes known as Black root), which normally would bloom in July or August.
